Nigeria’s point guard, Uche ‘UC’ Iroegbu was the hero for D’Tigers on Sunday, as he netted 17 points in an amazing 106-62 blowout victory at the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualification tournament in Luanda, Angola, Sports247 reports.
Iroegbu justified his pre-match hype by stepping out among the lot, as D’Tigers sealed qualification for the qualifiers second round with their convincing win that completed a perfect three-game run for Nigeria.
David Fizdale’s side got the revival they needed with earlier victories over Tunisia and Guinea, as the team continued their impressive surge under the American gaffer and Iroegbu led the way.
While the younger of two Iroegbu brothers also provided seven assists, equally exciting Caleb Agada, Ikechukwu Mekowulu and Stan Okoye each added 13 points in the mammoth victory for D’Tigers, who totally overwhelmed Rwanda at both ends of the court.
It was a huge consummation for the Nigerian side that began this lap of the qualifiers with an 84-81 win over Tunisia, on a night when Chimezie Metu and Ike Iroegbu got 17 points each, Wes Iwundu contributed 14 and Uche Iroegbu added 13.
They followed it up with a tight 80-79 comeback win against Guinea on Friday, during which Agada starred with 22 points, while Uche Iroegbu contributed 14 and Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu added 10, as D’Tigers rallied from behind to secure victory.
Sunday’s comprehensive win over Rwanda completed a clean sweep of three straight wins for Nigeria in the second stage of the qualifying window, as Fizdale’s side combined experience with young talent in thoroughly disciplined performances all through the tournament.
Their three consecutive victories have consequently boosted Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2027 FIBA World Cup, as the squad resurrected from a highly scary 1-2 setback in round one of the campaign.
The Governor of Ekiti State, Abiodun Oyebanji, on Thursday assured President Bola Tinubu that the past governorship candidates of the Social Democratic Party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Allied Peoples Movement, APM, are supporting his reelection bid.
Speaking during the APC's Ekiti State 2027 presidential campaign rally, the governor said no President has been as good to the people of the state as Tinubu.
Oyebanji said, "Mr President, Ekiti people have spoken and we have listened to the candidates of the SDP, PDP, and APM that we contested the June governorship election together, all three of them are now united to ensure that we deliver Mr President in January.
"I stand to be corrected that since the creation of Ekiti State, no President has been this good to Ekiti people. In May this year, Mr President sent the Vice President to Ekiti twice for us to commission some projects and to campaign. He sent the Vice President with one simple message – if we were happy with the performance of the governor, please return his promise.
"On June 20, the opportunity presented itself, you filed out and returned APC with an unprecedented vote of 85.7 percent, it has never happened in the history of this state, that victory is not for me; it's for Bola Tinubu, it's APC's victory.
"You told the President that you are happy with what he has done in the last four years, evidence said I will do more for Ekiti on one condition – return me back as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria."
Oyebanji assured Tinubu to relax because he will get 80 percent votes from Ekiti State.
He added: "Mr Vice President sir, our message to Mr President is that 'ki won lofokan bale,' there is no problem in Ekiti State. We have made up our mind that come January 16, we are going to double the tally of what we did in June this year.
"Ekiti is united and I have all the candidates of other political parties that contested with me here, all our former governors, Fayose, Niyi Adebayo, Fayemi are physically present here. Oni sent his apologies, I can say this boldly here that there is no problem in Ekiti.
"We will return the President with nothing less than 80 percent of the votes and that is a charge to Ekiti people."
A British national has tested positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UK government has confirmed.
According to the BBC, the British man tested positive for the virus while in the DRC. Reuters subsequently reported that he would be medically evacuated to the UK for specialist treatment. However, the exact time of the evacuation was not immediately known.
This marks the first confirmed case of a British national contracting the virus during the ongoing outbreak in the DRC, which has claimed more than 5,000 lives.
Ebola is a viral disease that can cause severe illness and spreads mainly through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person.
Symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, muscle pain, weakness, and diarrhoea.
“The UK has well-established procedures for dealing with cases like this, and those processes have been activated,” a UK government spokesperson was quoted as saying.
“Further information will be shared in due course as appropriate. The risk to the UK public from Ebola remains low.”
Ebola outbreak
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus, and was first declared in DRC in May 2026.
According to the latest figures from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the outbreak had recorded 10,563 confirmed cases and 5,130 deaths across five countries as of 1 November 2026.
The DRC accounts for the majority of the cases, with 10,532 confirmed cases and 5,126 deaths. The outbreak has affected eight provinces in the country.
Kenya has recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, while Uganda has recorded 20 confirmed cases and two deaths, alongside one probable case and one probable death.
Nigeria confirmed its first case on 20 October after a traveller with a history of travel to Uganda tested positive for the virus. The patient was subsequently medically evacuated to Switzerland for treatment.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 62 contacts linked to the Nigerian case had been identified and were under follow-up as of 29 October.
Symptoms and transmission
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has explained that Ebola survivors may transmit the virus through sexual intercourse if it persists in their semen after recovery.
However, survivors who have met the criteria for discharge from treatment are not expected to transmit the virus through sweat or saliva, as the virus is cleared from their blood.
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